Drunk Dial
by Freakygreeneyes
Summary: Jim calls Pam back after receiving her text on the night of the Diwali festival. And yes, he is still very drunk.
1. Chapter 1

-1It's exactly 1:37 AM when Pam's cell phone, charging on her bedside table, begins to ring. The first time it rings, she groans, rolls over and ignores it. Her head hurts and she has to be in work in a few short hours. But the caller is persistent, and when the phone begins to ring again, part of her worries that maybe it's an emergency. Head still beneath the covers, she gropes around until her fingers finally find the phone. She clumsily flips open her phone and mutters "Mmphhello?"

"Heeey Pam."

Suddenly Pam is wide awake. She would know that voice anywhere, even though it still feels so far away. "Jim?"

"Yes. I am Jim. Um, I got you're text and… I tried to text back buuut my fingers won't work." Jim's words were slurred and Pam heard something crash in the background. "Shit."

It doesn't take Pam long to figure out that Jim is drunk. Intensely drunk at that. It was funny, but she couldn't recall if she had ever seen him drunk before. She remembers the night of the Dundies when Roy had left and she had gotten _very_ drunk. And she kissed Jim. She was able to dismiss it as a drunken slip-up. But knowing now how he had felt, it hurt to wonder what that had done to him. And he had taken care of her for the rest of the night, picking her up off the floor and preventing her from getting into too much trouble. He had been a better friend than she deserved. "What was that? Are you okay?" She asked, concerned about the crash.

"That was my coat rack." Jim began to chuckle. "I actually have a coat rack…is it just me, or is that kind of ridiculous? I don't have that many coats anyway… It just seemed like a fancy new thing. We both do fancy new things you know! I'm doing new things. I eat tuna now."

"Tuna?" Pam giggled. "Did you have a thing against tuna before?"

"No, nothing _against_ tuna. I always ate ham and cheese. _Always_. I was a ham and cheese guy. Specifically ham and cheese. For 5 years." Jim went silent for a moment. "Did you forget?" His voice sounded so uncertain, for a moment Pam wasn't sure it was Jim.

"No, no, no," Pam said hastily "I didn't forget. Of course I didn't forget." Pam chewed on her lip nervously. "So did you go out with some friends tonight, or what?" It was weird to think of Jim having another new best friend.

"Nope. Drank at work. Some weird…tradition thing they have. Not like some beer-drinking tradition either. We are talking hardcore liquor traditional drinking! And I couldn't bike home, because balancing was stupid. So Karen drove me home."

Pam's breath hitched in her throat. "Who's Karen?"

"Karen? Karen is a really nice girl." A hint of bitterness crept into Jim's voice. "And she's really pretty. And she likes me." The alcohol in Jim's system made him callous, but he was still hurting. Several months after, and time hadn't done shit for his heart. He wasn't sure why he had called her back; he had missed her voice more than she would ever know, but talking to her was painful.

"Oh." Pam had absolutely no idea what to say. Of course she hadn't expected Jim to pine over her forever. But why now, just when she was really feeling like she had things together, really feeling ready for a new relationship? "Well, it's really good, you know, that you're meeting people in your office."

"Yeah, Karen's great." Jim sighed, rummaging through his refrigerator. At the same time, he doubted he could keep anything down right now. "Everything's fucking great."

Pam felt out of her depth, not knowing how to handle this raw emotion. "Well…" Pam said hesitantly "Everyone here really misses you."

"Pfft." Jim snorted. "Like Dwight? Or Angela?" Jim asked sarcastically. "I'm pretty sure Stanley isn't all that torn up. I don't think Creed ever even learned my name."

"Well I'm pretty sure that Michael's been crying himself to sleep at night." Pam joked weakly, and gave an internal sigh of relief when he laughed genuinely. "And Phyllis and Oscar and Ryan miss you. Kelly misses you a _lot_. You were her best sounding board!"

"Oh god," Jim groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Just thinking about it gives me a headache. Or my hangover is starting early. Who's her new victim?"

"Me actually. Thanks for that." Pam sighed. "It is kinda fun sometimes to have a girly girlfriend to gossip with though. You were never much help with nail polish."

"Hey!" Jim cried indignantly. "I am the king of nail polish! I know more about nail polish than…the person who _invented _nail polish. Sometimes the person who invented nail polish comes up to me and is like 'Hey Jim…I have a nail polish question for you…' And I always know the answer."

Pam laughed "Alright, well now I'll just call you with my nail polish questions instead of Kelly. Cause you know I had so many. But can you help me with my online shopping?"

"God no. But I contain a plethora of basketball trivia."

"A plethora, huh?"

"Yes, a plethora. What do you need to buy online anyway?"

Pam paused. "It's kinda embarrassing… she thought I should start dressing, like…sexier now that I'm 'back on the market' as she calls it." Jim swallowed hard, and coughed. "But it backfired." Pam continued. "The only kind of guys whose attention I got were guys like Creed." She decided not to mention Roy's comment on her new shirt.

Jim felt relieved, even if he wasn't sure he had the right to be. "I'll have you know that Creed is a very, very sexy man." he confirmed.

Pam laughed. "And you are very, very drunk."

"True! I am drunk." Jim confirmed. "What time- shit…" Jim stopped, realizing how late at night, really, how early in the morning it was. "I'm sorry Pam."

"It's okay." Pam said hastily. "It's good talking to you. I've missed you. Every time I look up, Ryan's sitting at your desk and I hate it. Just going to work every day knowing you aren't going to be there is so much harder." Pam said in a rush.

There was a long, torturous silence. "Don't-don't do that Pam." Jim said, his voice choked. "I'm starting over. We didn't want the same- you didn't want…" Jim couldn't continue. "I gotta go Pam." He said before hanging up abruptly.

Pam was left listening to the dial tone, staring into the lonely dark of her fancy new bedroom. Curled up in the cold, vast expanse of her fancy new bed. Crying into the harsh, unsympathetic silence of her fancy new life.

TBC…? Review! Could get better!


	2. Chapter 2

-1Author's Note: OH. MY. GOSH! Reviews! I love reviews! They are like crack! (In that I am addicted to them, and they make me write much faster hint hint) Well, thank you _so much_ to everyone who reviewed, it was amazing to hear from you! Therefore, I give you more Jam goodness:

Chapter Two

Jim awoke to harsh rays of sunshine slicing through his eyelids, and he groaned pitifully. It felt like what was normally the gentle sunlight that drifted through his window was now burning into his brain. Everything was a little fuzzy, and he made a vague assessment of his situation. He was dressed in his work clothes from yesterday, now wrinkled and smelling of alcohol. His alarm clock was bleating hopelessly, as it had been for the past few hours. "Oh God," he moaned, his memories of the last night dim. He was late enough for work that there was no getting there now. He would have to call in sick, and while he doubted they would accept his excuse, there was no way he was working today. He was now recalling why he didn't drink much. Hangovers. "Uugh, alcohol is the devil." Jim decided, burrowing his head beneath his pillow.

Something was poking him painfully in his side, and he rolled over with much effort. Reaching down, he managed to fish his cell phone out from beneath the sheets. "Oh fuck." he said to no one in particular. Another reason he didn't drink much: drunk dialing. He had a tendency to become far too truthful when he was drunk. He would suddenly feel the need to clear all secrets from his life, and it usually ended with some awful consequences. _Who did I call?_ He wondered to himself. He was fuzzy on how he even got home last night. He somehow doubted that he had biked.

He flipped open his phone. One missed call from Karen; how had she even thought to call him before 12 AM after a night of heavy drinking? At the same time, he guessed it was kind of sweet, her checking up on him. He finally remembered her giving him a ride home, preventing him from attempting suicide by bicycle. He hoped he hadn't sang in front of her or anything.

He went to recently dialed numbers, holding his breath. Maybe he has just called his brother, or Mike or something… But when he saw the number that flashed up as number one, he felt a sinking in the pit of his stomach. It was the number that he never called, yet he knew it by heart.

Pam. Fuck, what had he said?! Should he call her back? Or did he say something truly awful, something that required he leave her a bit to cool off? _Well we've had about 3 months of cooling off_, he thought as he managed to sit up. His head was positively pounding, and as he let it rest in his hands he felt that his hair had become a shaggy, unmanageable mess. He decided he needed a plan. Sometimes when Jim felt overwhelmed, he just made a plan. He realized it was kind of a nerdy thing to do, but it helped him get organized, and his thoughts were everywhere right now.

Jim Halpert's Plan for Hangover Recovery:  
1. Call in work; try to sound pitifully sick.  
2. Advil. Lots of it.  
3. Get some kind of food. Preferably pancakes.  
4. Shower. Big time.  
5. Call Pam.  
5. Make a plan regarding the Pam situation.

Plans are good. Just follow the plan, Jim.

xXxXxXxXx

"Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam. Hold please."

"Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam. Hold please."

"Luke Skywalker, this is your father. Hold please."

"What?!" The confused customer exclaimed.

Pam sighed. "Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam. Hold please." Every time the monotony of her job got to her (and it did more often than she would like to admit), she would remind herself that it at least paid for her art classes. And her art classes would take her somewhere someday, at least that's what she hoped. Occasionally she wondered if she only believed that because Jim had told her so, but she hoped that a part of her had faith in a different future.

"Miiiiss Pamela Beesley!" Michael proclaimed, emphasizing his entrance with a little drum roll on Pam's desk. "I need any messages, stat!" he said in a fake doctor voice. Sometimes it almost made Pam sad, the way that Michael felt the need to be constantly entertaining. He was so insecure that everything he did had to be flashy and dramatic. But at the same time, a small part of Pam envied Michael. He always went for what he wanted, full out, damn the consequences. He would never miss an opportunity because he was too reserved, or too scared of the unknown.

"Umm, you have 3 messages." Pam said, handing Michaels 3 small slips of paper. "Two are actually from Jan, I think it's pretty urgent."

"That's what she said!" Michael said automatically. "Wait, that doesn't really…oh well. Hmm, apparently Jan has Michael fever _pret-ty_ bad!" Michael waggled his eyebrows, grinning lasciviously "You know, if you wanna get a piece of this," Michael gestured to his 'goods', "you better hop on it!"

Pam didn't even want to address that innuendo. She just gave Michael her patented, dead-eyed stare that usually put him off. Michael chuckled awkwardly. "Alllrighty then…" He retreated back to his office. Pam smiled. Works every time, she thought, returning back to her sketch.

Her class was working on portraits, something that Pam didn't draw very often. Usually she enjoyed landscapes, or simply sketching her surroundings. But the fact that the majority of her surroundings sketches were of the office depressed her a little bit, so this new work was refreshing. But she wasn't sure whose portrait to do. She didn't want to creep out anyone in the office by staring at their head for a prolonged period of time, but she wasn't sure if there was a face she could hold clearly enough in her mind to draw it. Well, she knew there was one, but she wasn't sure she was ready for that.

However, her hand had already wrapped itself around the small, charcoal pencil, and it had begun lightly sketching the outline of his face. Her pinky brushed the page with every careful stroke, and she soon became absorbed in her work. He had that effect on her; when she began thinking about him, she found herself getting lost. She quickly became unaware of the passage of time.

"Oh my god, that is like sooo good. You are so talented Pam!" Kelly's shrill voice gave Pam such a jolt that she almost jumped out of her skin. Her hand jerked, leaving a dark, ugly smear on the drawing. _Damn it_! Pam cursed inwardly, biting her lip. Her mother hated it when Pam bit her lips, but it was a nervous habit. "Can I look at it?!" Kelly jumped up and down with delight. She was easily delighted sometimes. Pam glanced down at her drawing as if seeing it for the first time. It shocked her with it's likeness of him.

"Um, it's really not that good, it's just kinda a- a general sketch, you know, for practice…" Pam said nervously, almost babbling. She wasn't one to compliment herself all that much, but the drawing was accurate enough that there was no way Kelly would mistake it for anyone but him.

"Oh, okay…" Kelly's lower lip jutted out into an unattractive pout.

"But, um, do you want to go shopping Saturday?" Pam said hastily. Kelly was like a child sometimes, if not most of the time. She was annoying but she managed to make you feel horribly guilty for denying her, and the best thing to placate her was shopping.

Kelly's face quickly brightened. "Oh my god, toootally!" Kelly crooned. "We could get you some really sexy high heels and- Ooh, one of Ryan's buddies is in town and we could totally double date!-" As Kelly chattered on, Pam felt herself wince a little bit, and she swore that she could see Ryan, sitting at Jim's desk, do the same.

xXxXxXxXx

Jim sat at the edge of his bed, staring at his cell phone. He had called work; the crotchety old secretary had sounded skeptical of his unconvincing cough, but she had let him go. He had taken lots of Advil and his head had ceased pounding (it now simply throbbed). He had plowed his way through six pancakes drenched with syrup, and now he sat here. Staring at a phone. He had considered everything, and it seemed the only thing he could do was call her and pray that he hadn't cried or puked on the phone.

He dialed the number for Dunder-Mifflin; she was less likely to pick up her cell phone during the workday. He just knew those kind of things about her; her mundane, daily habits that Roy had never noticed, but that Jim had treasured.

"Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam. Hold please."

His heart jumped at the sound of her voice (part of him hated that she could still do that to him). For some reason, he hadn't expected her to actually pick up. It was hard to believe that life at the Scranton branch continued like it used to, except without him. He hastily called out, "Pam, wait-" before she could put him on hold.

Silence hung heavily in the air for a moment, and Jim worried that he had spoken too late. But then a small voice greeted him (for the second time in 24 hours):

"…Jim?"


	3. Chapter 3

Last chapter…

He dialed the number for Dunder-Mifflin; she was less likely to pick up her cell phone during the workday. He just knew those kind of things about her; her mundane, daily habits that Roy had never noticed, but Jim had treasured.

"Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam. Hold please."

His heart jumped at the sound of her voice (part of him hated that she could still do that to him). For some reason, he hadn't expected her to actually pick up. It was hard to believe that life at the Scranton branch continued like it used to, except without him. He hastily called out, "Pam, wait-" before she could put him on hold.

Silence hung heavily in the air for a moment, and Jim worried that he had spoken too late. But then a small voice greeted him (for the second time in 24 hours):

"…Jim?"

Jim froze. There was no turning back now, but he was in unfamiliar territory. It had been easier to talk to her a week ago; although he was surprised, he managed to come off as okay. He was surviving in Stamford. It had been good, like the old times. But now, he had no idea what he had said or revealed. But he figured saying hi might be a good start. "Um, hey Pam. Yeah, it's Jim."

Pam glanced around the office. Everyone seemed fairly immersed in their work (or their solitaire games), and it appeared no one had heard her say his name. She placed her hand on her chest, hoping to calm her pounding heart, only to notice that her hand was shaking.

Finally, she took a deep breath. _Pam, you're being ridiculous, _she scolded herself. _It's Jim. Just Jim._ But even as she thought it, she knew that he had never been 'just Jim', and he never would be. Not to her. "Hi." she said softly "How're you feeling?"

Jim cringed. Somehow, despite the evidence, he had hoped that he had never actually called her, that maybe she hadn't picked up. But now, there was hard proof that she had, and he thought that he could tell from her tone that he had said something. All he could do now is try to repair the damage.

"Um, I'm considerably better." Jim replied, trying to sound lighthearted. "Last night at uh, the office, well, there's this kind of tradition they have with the sales staff. Basically it involves a lot of drinking. And you know how horrible I am under peer pressure. I'm worse than a eighth grader."

Pam smiled, closing her eyes gently. This was good, when they spoke like this. She could sit and simply pretend that nothing had changed. That he wasn't in another state, that they didn't speak for months. "How many times have I told you Jim, just say no!" Pam joked quietly, because for some reason this was just something that she couldn't share with the office. "I hope they at least didn't convince you to go streaking." She was glad at that moment that he couldn't see her blush. It was embarrassing in itself, how she was so easily flustered.

At the same time, Jim smiled, wondering if Pam was blushing right now. "Well I don't _think _I did, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't remember anyways." He tried his best to prepare himself; he had to bring it up sometime. "Um, I really don't remember a lot of last night. But I saw on my cell phone that I had called you, so… I guess this is kind of damage control."

Pam subconsciously slid down further in her chair, hiding herself from view. Did he really not remember? What did that mean for her? Should she just tell him about his crowning as the King of Nail Polish, or should she tell him the extent of what he revealed? About Karen, and that tinge of bitterness in his voice that still stung a little bit every time she thought of it. And she had thought of it a lot since last night, like a sore tooth that she couldn't stop prodding with her tongue. The memory left a sharp, metallic taste in her mouth. "Uh, yeah, we-we talked a little bit last night."

Jim swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. "I… I'm not really sure what I said. And I wanted to kind of check in with you. To make sure I didn't say anything really… out of line."

The nervousness that resounded in his voice, that uncertainty that she had never heard from him before brought tears to her eyes. It terrified her that maybe she had done this to him. She didn't want to flatter herself by thinking that she had ruined his life or anything, but still in the back of her head she knew that she had wrecked his heart. Even if now she felt ready for something more between them, it wasn't about her anymore. It was about him, and letting him heal. "No, no, you didn't say anything… inappropriate." Pam sniffed as quietly as she could. She didn't notice Angela watching her over the file cabinets that separated their desks. Pam tried to sound nonchalant. "No, we just talked about the Diwali festival that Michael had everyone in the office go to last night."

Jim breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if a weight had lifted from his shoulders. She didn't know. She didn't know that talking to her still made him feel breathless. "Diwali huh?" Jim chuckled. "That sounds like a blast."

"Oh but it was!" Pam smiled, wiping her eyes. "There uh, was lots of Indian dancing, and Michael managed to propose to Carol and try to kiss me, all in the same night!"

"What?!" Jim exclaimed, unable to quell the wave of protectiveness he felt towards her even at the idea of Michael making a move on her. "Details Beesley, right now!"

"Well, it all started off when Michael printed us each out the Spark Notes version of the Kama Sutra…" Pam began. They were fine. They would always be fine.

xXxXxXxXx

Pam sat in the stairwell, crying softly. She hated how much she cried lately, and she really was trying to keep it together. But it was hard with both Roy and Jim gone. Jim more than Roy really, but maybe Jim's absence would be more tolerable with Roy there. She knew she needed this, to be independent. She just _hated_ waking up alone.

She had chatted for a little with Jim, and it had been nice. To know that they could still connect almost like they used to, even if it wasn't exactly the same. And it never would be the same. To think of that broke her heart a little more every time. As her tears began anew, she didn't even hear the door behind her close.

She was startled as Dwight sat down next to her, and she sat straight up, wiping hastily at her puffy eyes. But something about his face, which looked completely different than normal, told her that she didn't need to speak. It was a look of total understanding.

"I pined over the woman that I love for many months." Dwight began, in a voice that was a bit pretentious but also compassionate. "But the time that I suffered made our union even more spectacular." Dwight gently placed a hand on Pam's back, patting softly. "This too shall pass." He whispered.

Pam was shocked and grateful all at the same time. She knew that maybe part of the reason Dwight was here was just to play love-sensei, but still. He had come, and his words held truth. Maybe this wasn't the end for her and Jim, but a whole new beginning. There would always be men named Roy and women named Karen who might come between them. But they too would pass. Pam smiled a watery smile, and Dwight smiled back.

xXxXxXxXx

Dwight re-entered the office and sat down at his desk, adjusting his things. Looking up, he made eye contact with Angela, who raised an eyebrow. Dwight nodded conformation to her unspoken question as Pam walked in and sat at her desk, her eyes only slightly red. Angela looked her over, looked back at Dwight, and smiled.

AN: Okay, guilty as charged. I did steal a little bit from the 'Back From Vacation' episode. But I so loved that scene! And it turns out that Angela does have a heart J Reviews are a lovely, lovely thing!!!


	4. Chapter 4

-1AN: Sorry if this chapter is a little all over the place, it's kinda a transition chapter. Again, please review! You know, in case you forgot.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Jan Levinson (no Gould) stood outside the Scranton office, sucking furiously on the brown filter of a cigarette. She knew it was an awful habit, as random people would constantly remind her. But hey, she figured, everyone has something. Some people bit their nails or played with their hair. This was her thing, the thing that just calmed her nerves when she needed it. She pushed a strand of her carefully maintained strawberry blonde hair out of her eyes, and wrapped her arms tighter around her sides. It was cold outside, and she needed to meet with Michael soon anyway. Bracing herself, she took one last drag of her cigarette before tossing it onto the cement, crushing it's glowing tip with her sharp black high heels. She checked her berry-colored lipstick in her compact mirror, straightened out her skirt, and began to walk briskly towards the glass doors of Dunder-Mifflin.

Jan entered the office with her smart, black trench coat waving gently behind her. She saw Pam first, as usual, sitting at reception. Jan was disappointed that Pam had never taken her up on her offer of the graphic design course in New York. Jan was fairly good at reading people, that's how she had gotten as far as she had. And she had seen clearly in Pam's eyes that she wanted to go to this course, that she wanted to be more than a receptionist. But something had held her back, and Jan had an inkling that it had been that oafish fiancé of hers. The strange thing however was that Jan had heard that Pam left her fiancé, but she still had made no further inquiries about the course. Something unresolved was still holding her here. Jan walked up to the reception, and waited patiently while Pam finished on the phone.

xXxXxXxXx

Pam looked up as Jan walked over to her desk, and she smiled hello. Once finished with her phone call, she greeted Jan properly. "Hi Jan. How've you been?" Despite their differences, Pam liked Jan. She was smart, powerful, independent and in control, and Pam admired that hugely. But there was something still vulnerable and lonely inside her that Pam identified with.

"Hi Pam, I've been pretty good, thanks. How are you?" Jan replied, setting down her briefcase and shrugging off her coat. She hung it on the coat rack and adjusted her hair. Jan didn't take so much time with her appearance because she was vain, although she was aware that she was attractive. She used her looks to her benefit as she would any of her other skills. Being a woman in the workplace, it was only fair that she had some kind of upper hand. And part of it was simply that she wanted to look professional.

"I'm pretty good," Pam said "Just decorating my new apartment and stuff. Should I let Michael know you're in?" She couldn't help but notice Jan sigh helplessly.

"Yes, I suppose so." she said, gathering up her briefcase. But before Pam could call Michael, he burst out of his office with his usual grandeur, startling both Pam and Jan.

"Do my eyes deceive me?!" Michael cried with an awful British accent! "Is it Jan Levinson, here to speak to her lowly servants?!" Michael chucked, striding over to shake Jan's hand. He went in for a kiss on the cheek, but she managed to side-step him skillfully.

"You knew I was coming Michael." Jan said shortly, walking past Michael into his office. "Let's just get started."

"That's what she said!" Michael whispered, out of Jan's earshot but enough so some of the office could hear. Dwight laughed loudly and heartily, Ryan grimaced and Pam merely rolled her eyes.

"Michael!" Jan said sharply, and Michael jumped. He scurried to his office in the most dignified manner he could, and he quickly shut the door.

xXxXxXxXx

"Okay Michael," Jan began, taking a breath. "You know there's been talk of shutting down either the Scranton branch or the Stamford branch for quite a while now." Seeing that Michael was about to interrupt her, Jan just talked over him. "Wait a second Michael. Now, corporate has made a decision."

Michael stood up and began to pace the length of his office, loosening his tie. "Are you serious Jan?!" He moaned "I mean, I know you're not supposed to play favorites, but just this once, couldn't you-"

"First off Michael, of course I can't play favorites. Secondly, even if I did, don't be so sure that it would be this branch."

Michael continued as if she hadn't even spoken. "I mean, I know I broke your heart Jan, but I thought we could stay friends, and this is what friends _do_ for each other-"

Jan closed her eyes and hung her head, pinching the bridge of her nose with her manicured fingers. Sometimes she could just swear that the man was delusional! "Michael-" she started.

"I mean, I've worked here for years!" Michael ranted "Same with Stanley and Phyllis, and Creed was here before the _dinosaurs_!…"

"Michael!" Jan tried again, but to no avail.

"I have a mortgage to pay! I'll end up on the street in a cardboard box doing card tricks for money! And who will take my fish?! My fish can't live on the street with me! And my _car-_"

"Michael!!" Jan half shouted, and Michael looked at her with surprise, as if just noticing that she was there. "We're closing the Stamford branch. You guys actually did pretty great last quarter, and the regional manager at Stamford just quit to work at Staples. I'm just here to let you know that some of their staff are transferring here."

Michael sat back down at his desk. "Oh!" He laughed. "Well okey-dokey then! Say, what are you doing for dinner? I know this _amazing_ comedy place and it has some great food…" Michael's voice trailed off as Jan gathered her things and left the room without a word.

xXxXxXxXx

Jim was staring out at the new view from his desk, absentmindedly swinging his chair from side to side. This office was considerably different from the Scranton one. There was more natural light, which meant there was no constant hum of fluorescent lighting. There were fewer stains in the carpet, and less scuffs on the desks. It was even a different kind of quiet; the quiet of people working rather than people just being bored.

But the vending machine didn't sell grape soda, and the desks all faced the same way. When he put Andy's calculator in jello, the guy had nearly had an aneurysm. That had been mildly terrifying, even if it was Andy. The receptionist was some crotchety old woman, and as much as Jim didn't want to admit it, he was already sick of tuna sandwiches. And he had become sick of the nickname "Big Tuna" after about three days.

"Hey," A voice snapped him out of his reverie. Karen looked down at him, half-sitting half-leaning on his desk. Just the way that _she _used to. "Are you okay?" Karen asked, her face tinged with concern.

Jim forced himself to smile. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He coughed, sitting up straighter and swiveling his chair to face Karen. "Still in recovery I guess."

"Well you're not the only one." Karen smirked, nodding her head in the direction of Andy, who had his head on his desk and was snoring not too subtly. His phone rang, and his head shot into the air, a piece of paper stuck to his face. He simply looked around, ignored the phone completely, and went back to sleep.

"Well, you gotta give him his props." Jim shrugged. "It takes real determination to be _that _unproductive." Jim smiled again, but Karen noticed that it didn't quite reach his eyes. When Jim genuinely smiled, it lit up his whole face, and his whole body just…shifted somehow. His spine unfurled just a bit and his shoulders came back and his head would cock a little to the side. But now he just looked down and past Karen, one of his shoes scuffing the floor.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked again.

"Yeah-" Jim began, but his phone rang and interrupted him before he had to lie again. "Oh-I gotta, um-" Jim gestured at the receiver.

"Oh, yeah-" Karen said, shaking her head and she stood up straight. Giving him one last once over, she walked back to her desk behind him as he picked up the phone.

"Jim Halpert." Jim answered, trying to make his voice less distant, more friendly.

"Jim, it's Jan Levinson." said the voice on the other end of the phone. "I have a proposition for you."

AN: Can you guess what's gonna happen next?! MERGER!


	5. Chapter 5

-1AN: Okay, so I just realized when I make page breaks while I'm writing this, I guess they don't transfer onto the site! So I'm really sorry if it's been at all confusing, hopefully they're fixed now. And also, sorry for my incredible newbie-ness, but what's a beta-reader?

"Ladies aaand gentlemen!" Michael announced, flinging his arms wide. He loved to imagine himself enrapturing audiences with his wit and presence, but Pam merely rested her head in her hands. She threaded her fingers through her slightly messy hair, massaging her temples. She did not have the patience for this right now; her barrette was digging into her scalp, she had a headache, it was about 10 minutes before lunch break, and she just wanted to sit in the break room and eat her damn yogurt. But Michael continued, as usual totally unaware . "May I have your attention please!"

Stanley sighed, not even looking up from his crossword. "Make it quick Michael." he drawled. He smiled inwardly as he got 32 across and filled in the blanks with neat letters. Stanley knew that people thought of him as 'the crossword guy'. But they didn't know that it wasn't just a hobby, that he _needed_ to do these just so he could feel like his mind wasn't going to waste. He may not be where he pictured himself being when he was younger, but he could still do _The New York Times_ crossword puzzle in under a few hours. _Sometimes you just have to hang on to the little things,_ he thought tiredly. For him, it was crossword puzzles and pretzel day,

Michael coughed, but remained undeterred by the lack of response from his employees. "Well, over the past two years or so, I know that a lot of you have been hearing rumors about _downsizing_." Michael emphasized the word, and just as he expected he suddenly had everyone's rapt attention. People's expressions varied: both Stanley and Toby looked reluctantly hopeful (retirement was on the horizon) and Dwight looked thoroughly dismayed, though he tried to hide it (he did not want to seem in any way unsure, lest a co-worker see any weakness). "Now, my faithful workers, I bring you news!" Michael cried. "It came down to either us or them, and-"

"Whose 'them'?" Pam asked.

"'Them' is the Stamford office in Connecticut. Now, don't interrupt Pam." Michael said hastily. "Anyway boys and girls, we won. Due to our _spectacular_ profits last quarter, we won. We will be absorbing the Stamford branch!"

Dwight gave a victory yell, pumping his fist into the air and showing his teeth in a rare grin. But others were not nearly as enthusiastic, even at the prospect of new co-workers. Stanley simply sighed and returned to his crossword and Toby drifted off to dreams of surfing lessons. But Pam sat at her desk, frozen. Stamford. Where he worked. "Michael!" Pam called quickly, before he could return to his office. "What do you mean when you say 'absorb'? Like, is everyone who works there coming to work here?"

Michael was encouraged by at least one person's interest in what he saw as a victory. "Well Pam," he began, coming over to place his hands on his desk, fingers spread wide. He liked to think he had nice hands, especially since he took care of his nails. Todd Packer might consider it kinda gay, but he had read in _Small Businessman_ that people notice things like that because it looked more professional. "A few people will transfer, around four or five. But the rest will be let go, _suckahs_!" Michael hissed, cackling unsympathetically.

"Do you know yet who will be transferring?" Pam asked, trying not to seem too eager or curious. But Michael, in a surprisingly intuitive moment, caught on to her intentions anyway.

"Ohhh, Miss Beesley!" Michael crowed in some kind of bizarre accent that Pam couldn't place. He winked and she flushed. "Are you wondering if there will be a reunion of the two lovebirds of the office?!"

Pam looked around the office, hoping that no one had overheard. "Michael…" she said plaintatively, not knowing what to say. How could she seriously say no when that was in fact what she was wondering? However, Michael noticed the desperate look on her face and he decided to take mercy on her. But he totally didn't understand her embarrassment, seeing as the kids were obviously made for each other!

"Okay, I know Jan's at least offering him a position here. But I'm not sure if he's going to take it, given your whole 'situation'." He made air quotes with his fingers. "The ball's in his court right now."

"What are you talking about, 'situation'?" Pam asked, scrunching up her eyebrows. What had Jim told Michael? As far as she knew, Michael and Jim had only spoken at the conference a few weeks back.

"You know, him being in love with you, you almost getting married, him transferring because of you." He said a bit callously. Michael missed Jim, and he was still a little bitter about Jim's transfer.

Pam's throat went dry, and she barely managed to keep her emotions from parading across her face. "Yeah, yeah of course. Okay, thanks Michael." Pam replied, trying to subtly dismiss him. Of course she had guessed as to why Jim left. But to hear it put in such blunt terms was a very different matter. _He moved all the way to Connecticut because of me... He was only staying because of me! But if he left because of me, why would he want to come back? _Pam's thoughts were running in circles.

Michael opened his mouth as if about to speak again, but Pam just couldn't take any of the Great Michael Scott's wisdom right now. If he wouldn't leave she would. "Um, it's my lunch break." She said quietly, and grabbing a small brown paper bag from under her desk, she made a run for the break room.

xXxXxXxXx

Earlier, when Kelly had asked Pam to go out for drinks that night, Pam had wanted to say no. But Kelly kept on going on and on about "We don't need guys! We'll have a girls night out!". Apparently Ryan had ditched Kelly again, and while Pam was partly going just to appease Kelly, she also knew that going out more would be good for her. Most nights she stayed home and drew or watched The Daily Show. And apparently Jim was going out. So yeah, maybe she really could use a girls night out!

After four cosmos, Kelly had become Pam's new best friend. "You know," Pam said, not realizing how loudly she was speaking, "I mean, who- we don't _need_ guys! They're, they're just so…so _dumb_!" Kelly began giggling uncontrollably, but Pam only became more righteous. "They're all 'Uh, maybe we like you but maybe we don't, we don't know because we're dumb and we move away and hook up with girls named Karen'…" Pam ranted, dropping her voice as low as she could for her impersonation of a "guy".

"I _know_!" Kelly screeched as Pam took another sip of her cosmopolitan. "I mean, Ryan should _be_ so lucky to have me! I'm pretty, and nice and I'm _so good_ at listening to people!" Pam nodded vigorously in agreement. "Guys don't deserve us! They're just like big- big smelly gorillas!" Kelly cried, as if she had had an epiphany.

"Sexy gorillas sometimes though." Pam admitted.

"Okay, well, sometimes, but most of the time they're just smelly and dumb!" Kelly continued. "I am totally done with guys!" She announced, clumsily flicking her hair over her shoulder.

"Hear hear!" Pam laughed, clinked the edge of her glass with Kelly's and unconsciously sloshing some of her drink on her skirt.

"I should totally become a lesbian or something!" Kelly said triumphantly.

"What?"

Kelly reconsidered. "Okay, maybe not a lesbian. But I will never again sit around waiting for Ryan to call me! And- and when we hang out next time- _if _ we ever hang out again!- it's going to be with _my_ friends, not his!" Pam toasted this with another sip of her drink. She had taken her barrette out of her hair, her headache was gone (for the time being) and she was feeling much better.

"Kelly?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm drunk."

"_Me too_!"

Pam giggled, taking another sip of her drink "You know," she whispered secretively "I talked to Jim on the phone."

"Ohmigod, seriously?!" Kelly gasped, leaning forward "You have to tell me _everything_!" She squealed with delight at the new gossip. "I always knew you guys were toootally mean to be together, I mean, everyone could see it!"

"Everyone except me apparently!" Pam sighed, exasperated. "Well anyway, so in May or something, he tells me he's totally in love with me, and he _kisses _me right?" Kelly's eyes grew wide. "And so, I'm so surprised and everything and I didn't know what to do, so I told him I was marrying Roy."

"You didn't!" Kelly pressed one of her hands to her chest, the other one resting on the bar for support.

"I _did_!" Pam confirmed. "But then later I realized what I had done, because Jim and I are so perfect for each other, so I ended it with Roy!"

"You ended it with Roy for Jim?!" Kelly now made an almost comical sight, her normally perfect hair slightly mussed with the bun falling to the side, her eyes as big as saucers and her mouth hanging slightly ajar.

Pam sat up proudly. "Yes I did! And now I am an independent woman! Like that song, with that Clarkson girl who's all…independent." Her voice trailed off. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, almost losing her balance in the process. "Whoa!" she giggled, realizing that she would probably have to take a taxi home or something.

"But what about Jim?" Kelly asked, still intensely focused on Pam's story. As much as Kelly talked about herself, she still found other people's lives far more interesting than her own. Pam guessed that was the reason for the stacks of tabloids that were hidden in Kelly's desk drawers.

"Oh yeah." Pam leaned her elbow on the bar, but removed it quickly when it landed in something sticky. Brushing at her sweater, she continued "I was way too scared to call him! I thought he must hate me!"

"Why, because you didn't immediately leave your relationship of 10 years for him?" Kelly asked incredulously.

"I don't know!" Pam groaned. "I mean, I guess I kind of already knew how he felt, but what was I supposed to do?!"

"Ugh! Guys only ever think about themselves!" Kelly huffed, still indignant. "He just totally expects you to up and drop everything for him!"

Pam shrugged. "But anyway, I never called him and now he's seeing some girl named _Karen_," Pam all but spat out her name. "And I accidentally talked to him a few weeks ago and it was so great and then he called me drunk and I think he's still mad but he doesn't remember what he said so I didn't tell him and it's all a _mess_." Pam started to get weepy and overwhelmed just thinking about all of it.

"Karen is _such_ a bad name." Kelly said sympathetically, pulling a tissue from out of her purse.

"Really?" Pam accepted the tissue gratefully.

"Yup." Kelly nodded seriously. "I have _never_ met a Karen that I liked."

Pam felt relieved at even this small bit of comfort. "That is so good!" She smiled, happier now. "Anyway, Jim might be coming back to Scranton! But I'm scared he's staying away because of me."

"Ohmigod Pam, Jim was _completely_ in love with you! You don't get over that in a few months! He totally won't be able to stay away." Kelly leaned over the bar, plucking a few maraschino cherries out from behind it. "Hey Pam?" Kelly asked, popping one of the cherries into her mouth.

"Mmhm?"

"Do you think Ryan loves me as much as I love him?"

Pam thought on this for a moment. She knew even though she was drunk, she wouldn't lie. Or maybe because she was drunk she wouldn't lie. But when she realized the answer, it surprised even her. "You know, I think he really does, but he just doesn't know it." Pam said, nodding her head sagely.

"Really?!" Kelly grinned. "Ohmigod, I'm so happy you think so!" She held up her cosmo in salute, and Pam brought hers up to meet Kelly's as they clinked their almost empty glasses yet again.

xXxXxXxXx

Pam slumped into her couch, closing her eyes as she listened to the taxi pull out of her driveway. _Now comes the hard part_, she thought to herself. She wanted to call him. She wanted to call him and tell him that he shouldn't stay away because of her. That he should come for her, that she would be ready this time. But somehow she knew that his now broken self-confidence wouldn't let him believe her, that he would just blame anything she claimed on her being drunk. She knew that although the alcohol maybe gave her the courage she needed to call, it certainly didn't give her any feelings that weren't already rooted and thriving. But he just wouldn't believe her.

_I guess drunk dialing is contagious_, Pam smiled to herself. She giggled as she remembered their bittersweet, late-night conversation, how silly he had been. And how sad. She surprised herself with how much she missed his voice, and she had almost forgotten how good he was at making her laugh. _I'll probably just sound like an idiot_, she considered, staring at the cell phone in her hands.

Finally, she shook her head. _No_, she decided, even as her drunken heart protested. _This needs to be his decision. _Resigned, she carelessly let the phone roll from her fingers and down onto the carpet. She laid her muddled head down on the couch as she curled into a ball and fell into a restless sleep. She dreamed of him.

AN: So, I really love reviews. And, if I get reviews, I will write more, guaranteed! I will also send you chocolate chip cookies. And, depending on the awesomeness of your review, I will send milk. To go with the cookies.

Cookies are _so _delicious, aren't they?!


	6. Chapter 6

-1AN: So last chapter, I decided to not have Pam drunk dial Jim. But then, after I posted it, I fully realized my mistake! I felt like I couldn't change it now, but I figured…if _Pam _won't drunk dial Jim, then someone has to! (Also, sorry if this chapters a little messy, I've had a really rough week.)

Kelly had already called Ryan 9 times, and had left 5 messages. He hadn't called her back yet , but that might have been because it was already 2 AM. Pam was home and probably asleep, but for some reason Kelly just wasn't tired. She stretched her arms high above her head and grabbed a wine cooler from her fridge. She sat on her couch, watching MTV ("Laguna Beach" was the best show _ever_) while flipping through all the numbers in her hot pink Razr. She was bored and still drunk and she needed someone to talk to!

Her eyes lit up when she found Jim's cell phone number. When he had moved to the desk next to hers for a day, she had insisted that he give her his phone number. She had asked mostly because she just wanted more numbers in her phone; she enjoyed going through her phone book and seeing all the people she knew. It made her feel secure for some reason. She triumphantly pressed the green key and as she examined her nails, she listened to Jim's phone ring.

Kelly figured that since she and Pam were so close now, Pam needed someone to stand up for her! God knows she wouldn't do it for her self. Jim didn't pick up the first two times that Kelly called, but she was persistent. Now that she had this idea in her head, she had latched onto it. Pam didn't have many girlfriends, no one to investigate the men in her life and discover their intentions. Well, now Kelly would do that for her.

Jim finally picked up the third time. "What?!" He groaned into the phone, still half-asleep.

Kelly smiled to herself, sipping her wine cooler. Third time's a charm! "Hi Jim, it's Kelly! Ohmigod, it is _so_ good to hear your voice! How's Stamford? Anyways, I have to talk to you about Pam."

Jim almost hung up automatically as soon as he heard Kelly's voice, but he stayed on the line once he heard Pam's name. "Kelly?" he muttered, his eyes still closed. "What about Pam, is she okay?" Worry was now creeping into his sleep-laden voice. Why else would Kelly call at 2 in the morning to talk about Pam if nothing was wrong?

"No, Pam is totally not okay!" Kelly said indignantly.

Jim was suddenly wide awake. "Is she hurt? What's going on?!" He asked frantically, his mind racing. Was she sick? Was she in an accident? God, Jim wasn't sure if he could handle it if anything happened to her.

Kelly was oblivious to Jim's worry. "Jim, Pam is _sad_." She took a sip of her wine cooler. "She is _so_ sad, but she won't admit it! And it's totally your fault."

Jim was now torn between angry and utterly confused. "Wait, what have I done? I'm in Stamford." He stopped for a minute. "Kelly, are you drunk?" he asked exasperatedly, despite the obvious answer.

She simply ignored his last question. "That's what you did Jim, you moved to Stamford! And now, for the first time since you've known Pam, she's actually single, but you're too much of a pussy to come back to Scranton and do anything about it!"

Now Jim was just angry. "I'm sorry," he said "but I really can't see how this is _any _of your business!" He sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes. He knew he should just hang up, but he felt like he had to defend himself.

"It is _totally_ my business, because Pam is my _friend_!" Kelly cried. "And she misses you, like, a lot! We had a girls night out tonight, and Pam totally told me everything and I think-"

"What do you mean Pam told you everything?" Jim interrupted, suddenly nervous. If their was one thing that Kelly was known for, it was her complete and total inability to keep a secret. One time, as an experiment, Jim and Pam had told Kelly a fake secret, and they had timed it to see how long it took for the "secret" to get all over the office. It had taken 10 minutes and 23 seconds. Even if Jim was all the way in Stamford now, he still didn't want this all over the office in Scranton. It didn't mean he was coming back, he just didn't like the idea of everyone talking about him.

Kelly hiccupped. "Well, I guess we might have had a little too much to drink, but we were just having so much fun, and then Pam started telling me about you and about everything that happened on the Casino night. And stop changing the subject! We are talking about you and Pam here, and about how you should come back to Scranton and finally settle this thing!"

Jim didn't like this, the fact that part of him was starting to think that Kelly was making sense. "Kelly, if you know everything about that night, then you know that I risked everything, twice. She still said no." He tried to keep the lingering pain out of his voice, worried that Kelly might pick it up despite her state of mind.

"Ugh, Jim, you're really cute but you can be so stupid! She was with Roy for _10 years_, since high school! And while normally that's really romantic and adorable, here it's not so much. But she couldn't just leave her boyfriend/fiancé of 10 years as soon as you say something! You have to give her time!"

Jim needed to hang up now. Kelly was making more and more sense, and he was feeling increasingly stupid. "Kelly, I have to go." he said shortly.

"Jim, c'mon!-" Kelly cried, but he had already hung up. She huffed, looking at the phone. Then she shrugged, threw her bottle in the sink, and went to bed. Pam was so going to love her for this!

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jim sat at work the next day, his head in his hands. He hadn't slept that well after he had gotten off the phone with Kelly. Actually, he hadn't slept at all. He had been up since 2 AM, just thinking. And he still couldn't decide anything. He was pitiful. It was official.

Karen walked by his desk and up to the copier. He watched her go. She wore work-appropriate clothes, but she knew how to wear them in ways that flattered her body. She made an effort for work, but she didn't seem in any way desperate. He liked her hair, like dark silk. Always in place. But at the same time, it bothered him. Too boring. No…spirit. Deep down, he just knew he didn't like it because it wasn't like Pam's. This was ridiculous. He needed to get over Pam, but in order to do that, he needed to get closure with her.

If he was really gonna do this, he had to do it now. As Karen walked back to her desk, he called her name softly. "Hey, uh, Karen." Stopped and turned towards him, smiling. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure thing 'Big Tuna'." She joked, mocking Andy's nickname for Jim.

Jim rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'm afraid if you ever call me that again, we can no longer be friends."

"Alright, alright, I have been warned!" Karen laughed. "Anyway, what's up?"

Jim took a breath. "Well I was just wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner with me tonight."

Karen looked pleasantly surprised. She had given up on Jim a while ago, feeling like she had expressed interest but he hadn't responded. "Sure." She smiled and Jim gave an audible sigh of relief, which made her laugh. "Where do you want to go?" she asked, still grinning.

Jim smiled back, even if it felt a little forced. Karen was a really nice girl. "Um, I'm not sure. I still don't know Stamford all that well, do you wanna pick?"

"Okay, well then I hope that price isn't an issue!" Karen joked, then walked back to her desk.

Jim faced his computer, and steadied himself. That was one issue taken care of, now he just needed to deal with one more thing. Picking up his phone he dialed the number for Corporate. "Jan Levinson please." he said to the receptionist, then he waited for a moment. "Jan? Hi, it's Jim Halpert." he said once she picked up. "I just wanted to let you know, I'll do it."

AN: pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease review!


	7. Chapter 7

-1AN: Reviews are like oxygen to me! So imagine how uncomfortable I'll be if you don't review!

Pam awoke the day after "Girls Night Out" with the headache from hell. _No more "Girls Night Out" again, ever! _she thought to herself pitifully. It took her a minute to take in her surroundings and realize that she had fallen asleep on her couch. When she saw her cell phone lying on the carpet, she felt a mixture of relief and sadness. She hadn't made a fool of herself, but now Jim might never come back to Scranton. As if she could have convinced him on sheer, drunken willpower anyway.

She shook her head, trying to rid herself of all thoughts of him, but she immediately regretted moving at all as her head began to pound more furiously. Glancing at the clock, she could at least be happy about the fact that she had woken up early enough to get a shower before work. Heaving herself up, she stumbled towards the bathroom, her eyes still half-closed.

xXxXxXxXx

Pam could swear that the fluorescent lights of the office were installed for the specific purpose of punishing anyone with a hangover. Now she knew why Meredith always looked so pained in the morning. Even the smallest noise sounded like a thunderclap, exploding at the base of her skull and resonating through her head.

Pam readied herself as Kelly walked in, worried somehow that the other woman would be as bright and chipper as every other morning. To Pam's relief, it appeared that even Kelly was not immune to hangovers, evident with the bags under her eyes and the way she mumbled her answers to any question.

"PAM! PAM PAM! PAM!" Michael shouted, sneaking up and banging on Pam's desk. Of all his interpretations of her name, Pam now decided that the Bam-Bam one was definitely the worst. In fact, she had decided it was the most obnoxious, excruciating thing anyone had ever done in the entire history of the world. Pam was torn between simply curling up and cradling her head in her hands, or stabbing Michael in the eye with a pencil.

Michael remained blissfully ignorant of Pam's rather gruesome thoughts. "Any messages pour moi?" he asked in an atrocious French accent. Pam supposed it was supposed to be alluring; it just made him sound like his tongue was swollen.

She shuffled through the papers on her desk, finally removing two. "Just a fax and a message from Jan for you to call her." she said quietly, hoping he would follow her example. But then again, Michael had never really been much for picking up on any signals.

"Goody good good…" he muttered to himself, quickly scanning the fax with his eyes and reading the message more thoroughly. "Better jump on this!" he said to Pam, indicating the note. "Jan in an impatient woman. Something I love about her." he confided, drumming his fingers on Pam's desk before finally waltzing into his office.

Pam sighed with relief to finally be rid of Michael, but looked up again only to see Kelly approaching her desk. "Hey Pam!" she smiled, her voice a whisper of it's usual volume. Pam smiled back, laughing a little bit in sympathy.

"You sure feel it in the morning, don't you?" Pam said, resting her chin in her hands.

"Oh, _totally_." Kelly agreed as she started to roll her eyes, but then decided against it seeing as when she had tried it a few minutes before it had caused little fireworks in her head. "Definitely worth it though! Last night was _so _much fun!" Pam agreed, but slightly less enthusiastically. "Anyway, I have the most awesome surprise for you." Kelly said, smiling secretively.

"What?" Pam asked curiously, furrowing her eyebrows. Something told her that whatever was an 'awesome surprise' to Kelly might not be so awesome to Pam.

Kelly bounced on her toes, excited to the point where she almost forgot about her hangover. "Well, I got home last night, and I was _totally_ bored! I couldn't fall asleep like, at all, so I decided to watch 'Laguna Beach', which is a great show by the way. Then I called Ryan a few times, but he didn't pick up, but _then_, I had this awesome, awesome idea. See, I was remembering everything you told me last night, so…" Pam felt her stomach slowly sinking, as if she knew what Kelly was about to say. "I called Jim!" She said brightly, looking like a proud four year old.

Pam couldn't even speak. "W-what?! I… I don't even- what did you-?" Pam stopped herself, realizing she had yet to form a coherent sentence. She took a deep breath. "What did you say to him?"

Kelly was too busy patting herself on the back for her awesome match-making abilities to notice the look of horror on Pam's face. "I told him he needs to get _over_ himself and get his ass back to Scranton! I mean, he was totally unfair to you, putting you in that position-"

"Kelly, I had been flirting with Jim without realizing it for months, even years. Maybe sometimes I did realize it. It certainly wasn't news to hear how he felt about me." Pam's fingers gripped the edge of her desk until her knuckles turned white. "I led him along and-and _tortured_ him! We were supposed to be best friends and I treated him horribly. He had a right to ask anything he wanted of me, and the last thing he needs to hear right now is that _he's_ supposed to be feeling guilty for _me_-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Kelly interrupted. "Pam, you're just way too hard on yourself sometimes! Okay, maybe both of you can shoulder some of the blame. But you're single now, and he's single…do the math!"

"He's not single." Pam said softly.

Kelly scoffed. "Who, this Karen girl? She's just a total rebound because he's trying to get over you! Pam, I've seen how you two act around each other, and you're just like me and Ryan! You're meant to be!"

Pam wouldn't exactly compare herself and Jim to Kelly and Ryan, but she did feel remotely better. "How'd he sound?"

"I don't really remember…" Kelly said, squinting her eyes and pursing her lips as she tried to recall. "I think I did a lot of the talking."

Pam giggled a little at that. Just then, Michael came barging out of his office, obviously excited. _Either he's got really big news or he's just eaten a whole bunch of sugar_, Pam thought to herself.

"My loyal employees!" Michael said, grinning from ear to ear. "As you may know, we are going to be absorbing the Stamford branch, and-"

Dwight shot from his desk to stand on Michael's right side. "Much in the way that a predator will consume a smaller animal and then feed off of it's energy, we will _consume_ the Stamford staff-"

Michael cut him off. "Just, shut up Dwight, shut up." he said angrily. "You're just stealing my thunder." Dwight looked duly ashamed and reclaimed his seat while Michael continued. "Anyway, we are going to be receiving some of the Stamford staff, and I think you'll all be happy to know…" Pam sat up in her seat and started to listen. "That our very own Jim Halpert will be returning to our branch!"

Pam inhaled sharply and covered her mouth. She tried to regain her composure when she noticed Phyllis watching her, but when Pam saw the understanding look on Phyllis' face, and the smile that lurked in the corners of her mouth, Pam couldn't help but smile back. Kelly bounced up and down while clapping her hands, thrilled that her plan worked. Dwight began to pound his desk and declare this decision "outrageous!", while demanding to speak to Michael about it in private.

Pam just looked down at her clasped hands, and at her bare left ring finger. She didn't realize it, but she was grinning like a fool.

xXxXxXxXx

Jim entered his front door, closed it behind him and leaned against it heavily, his eyes closed and his face turned skyward. His hands felt greasy from the popcorn at the movie theatre, and he went to his kitchen sink to wash them.

He couldn't help but think that he had never felt like this after spending time with Pam. When he was with Pam, he never tired of her company, or thought of someone else. _Stop it, stop it, STOP IT!_ Jim told himself furiously, splashing some water on his face. He just couldn't keep comparing Karen to Pam, it simply wasn't fair.

And for all intents and purposes, he and Karen should get along really well. And to be honest, they did. She laughed at all the right times, and she didn't talk to much during the movie. When he had dropped her off and she had invited him in for some coffee and he had declined, she didn't push it.

But while her sarcastic quips had made him smile, and sometimes grin, she had never made him laugh out loud. When he laughed genuinely, his eyes opened wide as if he was surprised by his own response, and his laughter came from deep in his diaphragm, causing his stomach muscles to clench. But Karen had yet to make him laugh like that.

Despite this, he was not ready to give up on their relationship. She had already said she was coming to Scranton. He couldn't admit to himself that he was using her, using her as armor from what awaited him in that office in Pennsylvania.

Jim wandered over to his kitchen counter, and glanced at the calendar on the wall. There was day, a week from that night, that was circled with a red sharpie, like you saw sometimes in the movies. Always counting down to some kind of apocalypse, some kind of enormous change. He hadn't written down what was to happen that day, because he needed no reminder. He didn't even need the calendar, really; his mind was obsessively following the passage of time between then and "The Day" that was still a week away.

XXxXxXxXx

Roy sat in his living room (what used to be _their_ living room), sipping on a beer. He had sat down with the intention of watching the football game that was now blaring on the TV, but he instead found himself staring at the framed picture that was propped up on the table next to him. It was of him and Pam, and he couldn't help but try to analyze it. Was her smile genuine, or forced? He had never taken the time to notice when they were together. He stared into her eyes, hoping they would reveal to him some kind of secret. Had she still loved him then? When had she stopped?

Roy was jerked from his contemplative state when his phone rang, the bars of his ringtone jumbled and confused when thrown into the football game's loud commentary. He set down his beer and fumbled for a moment before he managed to slip his phone from his pocket. Seeing Darryl's number, he picked up, muttering "What's up?"

"Yo man," Darryl said, something in his voice strained. "I got some news for you."

"Darryl…" Roy said, exhausted "Not right now man, I gotta just-"

"Hey, hey, just listen up man." Darryl took a breath. "I was getting' some coffee from up in the office earlier, and I heard that Indian chick talking to her boy toy. Yo, Halpert made a move on your girl in May, on that casino night." Roy felt his heart begin to pound as his jaw clenched. "I just can't help but wonder if this has got anything to do with how your wedding went down." Darryl sighed, not enjoying the fact that he had to be the one to deliver this news. He knew Roy was still in a shaky spot, and he had really liked Pam. But it just wasn't cool for a girl to play his boy like that.

"Roy?" Darryl asked after Roy hadn't spoken for a minute. "I hear Halpert's coming back in a week. You want me to get some of the guys together talk to him?"

Roy knew what Darryl meant by that, but something about just having some of his friends rough up Jim wasn't satisfactory. Roy had trusted Jim, trusted him to take care of his fiancé. And he had abused that. "That's okay Darryl." Roy said in a startlingly monotone voice. "I'll think of something."


	8. Chapter 8

-1Creed stood outside Dunder-Mifflin's entrance, smoking a cigarette. The biting wind snapped at his flimsy jacket, trying to find a way through the weave and to his skin. He ignored it, simply ashing his cigarette into the air. He'd been smoking ever since he was 15, and in the 60's and 70's there were a lot worse things you could do than smoke. And since he'd already done those things, and lived anyway, he figured to hell with it. His glory days were past, but smoking was still one small thing he could take pleasure in.

His eyes narrowed as he took a drag and he watched a car pull into the parking lot. The driver was nearly half an hour late, but Creed could hardily blame them. It took everything he had to come back to this place every morning. He was surprised to see that the driver was that young man who had left a while back, Jack or Tim or something. Creed wasn't very good with names. Once you got old, you began to prioritize things more and for him, names just weren't at the top of his list.

"Hey Creed!" The man smiled as he walked up to Creed, adjusting his messenger bag on his shoulder.

"Hey there…you." Creed replied, thin lips pulled back into a smile. Ah, he remembered now. It was that young guy, Jim. The boy who loved the receptionist. The one who was moping all the time now. Creed was often far more perceptive than he let on; he found it was easier to be underestimated than to have people expect things from you. "Where've you been again?"

Jim smiled wryly. He wasn't shocked that Creed didn't know where he'd been. In fact, Jim was basically satisfied with the fact that Creed didn't think that Jim was his long lost son or something. "I transferred to Stamford for a while, but now I'm back I guess." He winced a little bit as Creed unconsciously blew smoke in his face.

"Ah." Creed didn't even try to feign interest.

"Well…see you up there." Jim said. He was pretty sure this was the longest conversation he and Creed had ever had.

Just as Jim was about to pass Creed and enter the building, Creed clapped a hand on his shoulder, stopping him for a moment. "Hey, kiddo," he said "She missed you. A lot."

Jim felt his stomach twist in a way that had become all too familiar ever since he had met Pam. He had felt it every time he looked into her eyes or heard her voice. God, his stomach did back flips when he heard her laugh. He didn't even reply to Creed. He just nodded, surprised at the depth of understanding that lay in the older man's eyes. Then, Jim turned and entered the glass doors of Dunder-Mifflin, Scranton branch.

xXxXxXxXx

Pam sneezed, and moaned softly in misery. Of all the days to have cold. And not just any old cold that was hanging about. This was the mother of all colds. When Satan got a cold, it was this cold. All the other colds were too afraid of him, but this cold was downright ballsy.

Pam giggled a little bit at the mental image of Satan curled up in his bed in hell with tissues strewn across his room, but her momentary relief was quickly interrupted by three sneezes in a row. Her nose was raw from blowing it, and she didn't have to look in a mirror to know that she looked awful.

"Wow, Pam, you look awful!" Kelly gasped in horror, confirming Pam's suspicious.

"Thanks Kelly." Pam said weakly. She would just take a sick day, but she was running low. She wanted to save up for a time when she was really sick. And also, quite honestly, she just wanted to see Jim. She wanted to see him so badly her heart physically ached. Even if she looked awful, she just needed to see him, to touch him. Just one more time, even if she didn't deserve it.

Kelly became all business. "Okay, we need to make an emergency makeup-reapplying trip, stat. C'mon, girls room, now! Go, go, go!" Kelly raised her voice, much like a drill sergeant. Pam got up, startled, and stumbled towards the bathroom, if only to make Kelly be quiet. Kelly followed, grabbing her purse from her desk.

Pam opened the bathroom door, Kelly right behind her, only to walk straight into Karen. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" Pam said, startled. Of all the people to totally embarrass herself in front of.

"Oh, it's okay." Karen said, laughing a little. She liked Pam; they had been introduced earlier by Michael. Karen almost hadn't believed Jim when he had described Michael, but now that she had seen him in the flesh, she realized that Jim had described him to a T. Now she wished Jim had been exaggerated. Karen noticed Pam's pale face and red nose. "Hey, are you feeling okay?"

Pam flushed. "Um, I just have a really awful cold." The cold decided this would be an opportune time to make her sneeze. And she did, several times. "Ugh," Pam groaned, managing to smile wryly. "See? Worst cold ever."

"Well, I hope you feel better." Karen offered, trying to seem comforting. She didn't know what it was, but something about Pam made her feel… off-center. She didn't want to say threatened, but it was close to that. All the same, she was a really nice girl.

"Thanks." Pam said, her voice muffled by the tissue she held to her nose.

Kelly stood with her arms crossed over her chest, looking at Karen with a hint of hostility. "Oh, I'm sorry," Pam apologized again. "I don't think you two have been introduced yet. Karen, this is Kelly. Kelly, this is Karen."

"Hi." Karen smiled genially, offering her hand to Kelly. Kelly took it with the utmost distain, using just the tips of her fingers.

"Hello." Kelly replied curtly. "Excuse us, we need to get to the mirror." Karen looked a little confused at the coldness in Kelly's voice, but she stepped aside and let the girls pass before she exited the bathroom.

Pam elbowed Kelly in the ribs. "You don't have to be mean to her!" she exclaimed. "Karen hasn't done anything wrong."

"Pam!" Kelly cried, aghast at Pam's ignorance. "Karen is the _enemy_! You can't fall for her tricks!"

"I don't think she's playing any tricks, Kelly-"

Pam was interrupted as Phyllis exited one of the stalls. "Who's playing tricks?" she asked, an unusual hint of excitement to her voice. Phyllis wasn't exactly one for gossip, but she did _love_ girl talk. A normally quiet woman, Phyllis couldn't resist talk of crushes and boyfriends. It made her feel like she was in high school again.

Before Pam could stop her, Kelly was off and running. "Well," she started "Jim's totally coming back today, and it's like him and Pam's big reunion! But, now, he's dating some hussy," (a word that Kelly had learned from Angela) "So now Jim and Pam can't be together like they're totally meant to be!"

Pam flushed with utter embarrassment, but Phyllis' face lit up. "Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed. "You know," she confessed to Pam "I always thought you and Jim belonged together. Such nice kids, and it was obvious how much he cared about you. Not like that Roy. And that Karen girl is far too skinny anyway."

Pam stared hard at her shoes, biting her lip. Phyllis saw the look on her face, and realized maybe she had overstepped her bounds with the comment about Roy. "Oh, I'm sorry dear, I just…"

"No, no, you're right." Pam said in an almost whisper. She sniffled, hoping that the other women would simply chalk it up to her cold. She lifted her head and forced a smile. "Hey, aren't we supposed to be getting me ready for my big entrance?" Phyllis clapped her hands happily while Kelly began rummaging through her massive bag.

"Okay, first of all, we are going to need _loads_ of cover up!" Kelly grinned, and Pam simply closed her eyes, preparing herself as Kelly started doing what she did best.


	9. Chapter 9

-1**AN: Sorry I've taken so long updating! I have a tendency to get mad sidetracked sometimes, and I started another story so I've been working on that.**

**Also, sorry if there are any typos or errors in this. I just wanted to get this up tonight, so I didn't beta :-/ **

It sometimes amazed Pam, how much makeup Kelly managed to fit in her little purse. And the fact that she had cover-up that was exactly the same skin tone as Pam's was kind of bewildering too. But Pam wasn't about to complain; when she looked in the mirror after Kelly was done, she looked at least presentable, maybe even better than usual. Kelly had managed to disguise the puffiness around Pam's eyes, instead managing to make them look wide and attractive, emphasizing their greenness.

Pam smiled, nodding her head approvingly. "Wow Kelly! You got mad skills!" she joked, raising her chin to look at her new face from all angles.

"You should put your hair down," Phyllis said, smiling shyly. "Michael will hit on you awfully, but it'll be worth it if Jim likes it,"

Pam unclipped her barrette and shook down her hair. It fell in soft curls, just below her shoulders. She ran her fingers through it, fluffing at the roots. Pam had always been kind of self-conscious about her unmanageable hair. "Are you sure?" she asked, nervously combing her hair with her fingers.

"Oh _totally,_" Kelly said enthusiastically. "Just part it a little on the side like this…"

_And the primping continues, _Pam thought wryly. She just hoped Jim would notice.

xXxXxXxXx

Jim strode into the office, trying to seem sure and confident. Which was total bullshit. He felt part of him tense and release at the same time when he didn't see Pam at the reception. He shrugged off his jacket, before turning to place it on the coat rack. He stopped, seeing that little pink jacket. He swore that it smelled like her. In fact, this whole place reeked of her. He hung his coat next to hers, slightly overlapping. He tried not to find any symbolism in it.

"Jimbo! Slim Jim! Jimmy!" Jim was blindsided by Michael, who had managed to sneak up on him. He wrapped Jim in a bear hug, awkwardly resting his head on Jim's chest due to the height difference. Jim found his arms pinned to his side as Michael held him for a little bit longer than necessary.

"Uh, hey Michael," Jim said slowly as Michael finally released him. Jim was shocked to see actual tears welling in Michael's eyes.

"It's good to have you back, Jim!" Michael said, sniffing manfully.

Jim smiled awkwardly, nodding. "It's good to be back,"

"So which did you like better, Scranton or Stamford? I mean, obviously Scranton is better since we're still here and everything. But you, personally, which did you like better?" Michael asked abruptly, wasting no time.

"Uh, Stamford is very…different from here," Jim said, searching for the right words. But then he decided now was not the time to be truthful. "Of course, it's not _nearly_ as much fun as it is here," he smiled. "All we did there was work, work, work," It wasn't really lying, just exaggerating. Jim just hoped that none of the other people who transferred from Stamford would reveal his 'exaggerations'.

Michael smiled in relief. "I knew it!" he said, punching Jim on the shoulder playfully. Jim just shook his head, bemused. He was about to go say hello to Karen when Michael cleared his throat purposefully. "Hey, Pam, where'd you get off to?"

Jim looked up, and there she was. Just standing there. After so much time just thinking about her, dreaming about her, it seemed wrong that she should actually exist in reality. But there she was, in the flesh. Her eyes, which were ordinarily hazel, looked extraordinarily green, and her hair framed her face in a gentle halo. He realized his mouth was slightly open, and he quickly shut it, swallowing hard. "Hey Pam,"

xXxXxXxXx

There he was. His hair was longer, and he seemed taller than ever. She knew he couldn't have grown in the past few months, but looking up at him, it felt like he had. She licked her lips nervously, tasting the cherry lip-gloss that Kelly had just applied. Was it just her, or were his eyes… older somehow? He looked tired, and momentary worry flooded her system. Only when she felt Kelly poke her in the small of her back did she realize that he had spoken. "H-hey Jim," She flushed at her stutter.

xXxXxXxXx

He couldn't help it. In two long steps, he was right in front of her, holding her, breathing her in. Her arms wound around his neck tightly as she buried her face in his shoulder, and he was worried she could hear his heart pounding. He knew Karen was probably looking, but it didn't matter. Kelly stood next to them, beaming like a proud parent as Michael grinned. He was the one to pull away first, and for a moment she was left breathless without him in her arms.

"Um, how are you doing?" It was lame. Jim knew it was lame.

xXxXxXxXx

"I'm…good, how're you?" Pam desperately wished that they didn't have an audience. There was so much more to be said than could be said now.

Phyllis noticed Karen watching the two intently, and quickly intervened. "So Karen, are you from Connecticut originally?" she asked politely. Only the small smile on her lips betrayed how happy she was to be part of this matchmaking scheme. Karen turned to answer her as Jim and Pam shuffled their feet awkwardly.

"Okay, well, it's good to have everyone back!" Michael said loudly, clapping Jim on the back. Pam winced. This moment was meant to be so much more than it was turning out to be. "Better get you back to work, tiger, you've got a lot of time to make up for!"

"I was still working in Stamford, Michael," Jim said. Pam's eyes were glued to her high heels as thoughts raced through her head. _Why did I wear high heels, that was such a stupid idea, I must look like I'm trying way to hard._ She finally forced herself to look up, and was delighted when she found him staring at her. But he looked away quickly, almost ashamedly, and she felt her heart ache painfully.

xXxXxXxXx

This was so totally _awesome_! Jim was looking at Pam like a drowning man who had just spotted land, and Kelly was pretty sure that some of that was due to the awesome makeup job she did on Pam. Pam was actually really pretty, but you had to work a little bit to get down to it sometimes. She should wear pink more, that totally brought out the rosy undertones in her skin. And she had great boobs, but she never wore the right shirts to show them off!

Looking away from Jim and Pam, Kelly saw her own Ryan, working at his desk, totally oblivious. His desk, that used to be Jim's desk…_ohmigod! _Kelly had just realized something.

She hurried over to Ryan as indiscreetly as she could. "_Ryan_!" she hissed.

He looked at her, totally mystified as to why she was whispering. "What?"

"You have to _move_!" Kelly whispered, clutching his forearm in both of her hands. She looked back at Jim and Pam, relieved to see that Michael was still blabbering on. _Ugh, some people just don't know when to shut up! _she thought. Jim and Pam were playing some sort of bizarre eye-tag; Pam would stare at Jim until he looked back, then she would look away quickly and he would stare at her until she looked at him and so on and so on. _Ohmigod, they're sooo cute!_

"Why do I have to move?" Ryan asked, regaining Kelly's attention.

Kelly rolled her eyes at his ignorance. "_Because,_" she said, "that's Jim's old desk, and if he doesn't sit there, he won't be able to look at Pam and see how totally and incredibly hot she looks!"

Ryan gave her a look of complete bewilderment. "Are you serious?"

"Ryan!" Kelly cried, "We owe Jim. He's the one who set us up, remember?!" Ryan just stared at her, and Kelly groaned. "Ugh, just get up,"

Kelly pried Ryan from his seat and gathered all of his things, shoving them into the desk opposite Dwight.

"What's going on?" Dwight said, outraged. "I refuse to sit next to Jim again,"

Kelly just ignored Dwight, pushing Ryan into his new chair. "Okay, see? Just as good!" she grinned at him charmingly. Ryan just sighed, and turned on his new computer.

"Hoooo-kay Slim Jim, let's get you all settled in! You want to sit in your old seat, near my office?" Michael asked Jim.

Kelly held her breath. "Um, okay, yeah. Sure," Jim said, and Kelly cheered inwardly. Score one for Team Pam! Team Karen 0.

**AN: What would Jesus do? Oh yeah, he would review.**


End file.
